Continuous press



March i3, 1928.,

E. T. MEAKIN oNTINUQUsf 'PRESS Filed Feb. 18,

1924 2 SheeiS-Sheet 2 IVVENTOE y Patented Mar. i3, 192s.

UNITED STATES DGAR T. MEAKIN, OF BERKELEY', CALIFORNIA CONTINUOUS PRESS.

Application led February 18, 19.24. Serial No. y693,580. f Y

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved type of continuous press comprisingsimpliied means for d isassembling and assembling the press cylinder.

.Another object is to provide improved ineansfor preventing the packing of material in the threads of the pressure screws and insuring its delivery into the press io chamber.

A. further object is to provide improved means for maintaining a pre-determined pressure on the material in the press chambei'. i

My invention. possesses other advantageous features, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth at length in the following description, where I shall outline in full that form of the invention which I have v selected for illustration in the drawings Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the press chamber, the plane of section being indicated by the line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section view taken on the line -5---5, Fig. 1, illustrating the arrangement of the pressure vscrew feed wheeL Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of several channeled bars, particularly illustrating the filter bed rabbets. I i

,Fig 7 is a side viewofy the feed wheel and adiacentpartsu f.

'lhe press of my invention is arranged upon channels or I-beains 2, and comprises end frames 3 and 4, in'vvhich a shaft 6 is joiiinaled in adjustable thrust hearings 7 and v3. liso arranged upon the channels and intermediate the end frames are a journal trame 9 and press cylinder supporting frames 11 and 12. A vforaininatedl feed hopper 131is arranged between the frames 9 and 11; and Atie rods 14 connected at opposite ends to the upper portions of the end titi frames 3 and 4, and passing through the 4intermediate frames 9, 11V and 12, tie the frames together, the spacing tubes 16 arranged between the frames, maintaining their position.V

Journaled in the frame 9 and rotatably disposed on the shaft 6is a sleeve 17 comprising a pressure screw, and provided with a helical thread 18, which sweeps the inner surface of the feed hopper 13, and extends into the press cylinder, generally designated by the numeral 19. One end of the sleeve is provided with a gear 21, keyed thereto and adapted to mesh with a pinion 22 on the countershaft 23, which is journaled in the bearings 24 and 26, in the. frames 3 and 9.

The countersha'ft 23 is also provided with a gear 27, keyed thereon and in mesh with a pinion 28, ixed to a drive shaft 29, also journaled in the frames 3 and 9, in thebeai'- ings 31 and 32. Asmall gear -33 keyed to the drive shaft, provides a driving connection to any suitable source of power.

Keyed to the shaft 6, adjacent the end of 80 the sleeve 17, is a shaft driving gear 34, secured against axial displacement` on the shaft by collars 36; and a conventional thrust. bearing 37 is arranged on the shaft 6 between ythe hub of the driving gear 34 and the end of the sleeve y17.

Means are provided for driving the shaft 6 from the drive shaft 29 at a dierent speed of rotation' than the sleeve 17.

Arranged in bearings 38 on the side of the frames 3 and 9, opposite to the countersliaft 23, is a jack shaft 39, provided with a driven sprocket 41' and a driving pinion 42, both keyed to the shaft. The sprocket 41 is driven by a chain 43 from a small sprocket 44, keyed to the countershaft 23; and the driving pinion 42 meshes with the driving.

gear 34 for the shaft 6.

Arranged on the shaft 6 and keyed thereto within the press cylinder is a second sleeve 46, its inner or keyed end being spaced from the end of the sleeve 17 by an antiriction cellar 47. rllhis sleeve is provided with an enlarged body poition`48, adjacent the discharge end of the 'press cylinder, the sleeve tapering outwardly from its inner end and having a helical thread 49 formed thereon. rllhe thread 13 of the sleeve i7, and the thread 49 of the sleeve 46 are both preferably grooved to receive a packing strip 50 1w of any suitable material such as rubber or fiber, which prevents leakage of material between the fiights of the screws.

This second Ytapered sleeve materially decreases the ca acity of the press cyhnder adjacent its discharge end, and havinga slower speed of rotation than the sleeve 17, and with helical threads of similar pitch, the movement of material through this end of the cylinder is retarded. The last Hight of the thread on the tapered sleeve adjacent the discharge end of the press cylinder is preferably interrupted to form varies 51, as shown in Fig. 2, and preferably disposed at an increased pitch to provide a boosting effect on the discharge of material from the coincident with the axis of the sleeve as shown in Fig. 5 and preferably lies at about 45 to the vertical, below the screw and to that side toward which the lowest portion of the periphery of the Hight moves.

This position of the feed wheel in the hopper has been decided on only after extensive experiment, and has proven most efiicient under test in preventing. material from boiling out of the threads of the pressure screw at the entrance to the press cylinder and insuring the delivery of the material into the press cylinder.

Formed on the shaft 6 between the end frame 4 and the discharge end of the press cylinder are threads 52 and a keyway 54. Lock nuts 55 secured on the threads of the shaft in a recess in the outer end of the tapered sleeve 46, aid in positioning the sleeve; and the threaded portion of the shaft provides a mounting for a conical pressure pli'gl 56.

e lug is adapted to maintain a resilient predetermined pressure on material in the press cylinder, and is forcefully held therein around the shaft and sleeve 46, by a spring 5 7 interposed between the plug and a collar 58, threaded on the shaft and provided with a flange 59, which may serve as a hand wheel. The flange is provided with sockets for the reception of a wrench bar or spoke to facilitate turning it. Rotation of the collar varies the pressure of the spring on the plug and hence the pressure exerted on material in the press cylinder. A pin 61, spring pressed in the collar against the keyway 54 in the shaft, prevents accidental rotation of the collar. Y l

Both the collars 58 and the plug 56 are provided with flanges 62 on their adjacent ends which are connected by a split sleeve 63, so that the plu may be backed out of the press cylinder releasing the pin 61 from the keyway an rotating the collar.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 4, the press cylinder 19, which forms a pressing chamber by the action of the screws, comprises two cylindrical units. Each unit comprises a cylinder composed of two semi-cylindrical assemblies of longitudinally disposed grooved or channeled bars 64, each assembly retained in position in semi-circular clamp frames 65, having radially extending lugs 66. The bars 64 have a cross section as shown in Figs. 4 and 6, one of the faces of each bar having a wide flange grooved so that a multiplicity of minute passages 69 are formed between the contiguous faces of the bai-s when assembled in the frames 65.

A rabbet 71 is formed in the inner edge of each bar, preferably adjacent the grooves of the adjoining bar; and material packing in this rabbet and the adjacent portions of the passages 69, forms a filter bed which measurably increases the efficiency and range of the ress. Material such as cooked pumpkin, w iich has heretofore been impossible to handle in such means, is readily pressed in my device. Fluid extracted from the material in the press chamber passes through the filter bed and passages 69, and is caught in a drip pan 73 arranged under the foraminated receiving hopper and press chamber between the I-beams 2, and may bc removed therefrom by Ya suitable conduit 74.

The grooved or channeled bars are assembled in the semi-circular frames 65, in the slots 75, formed in the inner faces of the frames, and are clamped therein between the outside retainin0r bars 76 by wedge bars 77. The retaining bars are secured preferably by welding to the frames 65.

In each semi-cylindrical assembly the wedge bars 77 may be moved outwardly in the frames to firmly clamp the grooved bars 64 against the outside bars by means of bolts 78 threaded in the wedge bars and passing through the anchor bars 79 which are longitudinally arranged across the spaced frames.

The grooved bars 64 are thus arranged in two semi-cylindrical assemblies, adapted to fit, one on the other to make the complete press cylinder 19. The adjacent faces of the retaining bars 76 are also formed with grooves 31 which perform the same function as the passages 69.

The semi-cylindrical assemblies comprising the assembled frames 65 and bars 64, 76 and 77 are brought together so that the retaining bars 76 of each semi-cylindrical assembly contact, and are held 1n cylindrical arrangement by bars 82 and 83 disposed on opposite sides of the lugs 66 and clamped together by tie bolts 84.

The press cylinder is preferably formed in two or more units considered longitudinally, each unit having two semi-cylindrical halves as just described.

The endsl of the component bars of each unit are provided with lugs 86 to seat at one end on stepped rings 87, formed on the press cylinder supporting frames 11 and 12. The opposite ends of the bars of each unit are similarly formed and adapted to seat on a center frame 88 having stepped rings 89 and supported on the I-beams 2. It will thus be seen that one unit of the press cylinder comprising a semi-cylindrical assembly may be disassembled without disturbing the other units of the press cylinder.

Any tendency of the units of the press cylinder to rotate with the pressure screws is overcome by the bars 82 and 83, which also enclose lugs 91 yprojecting from the suporting frames 11 and 12, and lugs 92 projecting from the center frame 88.

I claim: Y

1. In a press for the extraction of liquids, a casing comprising a plurality of contiguous transversely grooved bars, each bar having a longitudinal rabbet on its inner edge for the retention of material to form a lter bed.-

2. In a press or the extraction of liquids, a plurality of bars in cylindrical assembly, each bar formed with a longitudinally extending rabbet on one side at the inner edge and a transversely grooved flange in its opposite side at its inner edge.

3. In a press for the extraction of liquids,

a plurality of bars in cylindrical assembly,

`each bar having a flat side and a longitudiextending on one side from the inner face of the bar outwardly and on the opposite side of bar at its inner edge a longitudlnally extending rabbet lying next to thegrooves of the adjoining bar.

5. In a press having a pressure screw, a feed wheel comprising a plurality of teeth formed to mesh with the flight of the screw and journaled to rotate in a plane coincident with the axis of the screw and lying below and to that side of the screw toward which the lowestl point of the periphery of the flight ismoving.

6. A pressure screw having a body and a continuous spiral flight thereon, and spiral vanes each of less length than the circumference of the flight on said body adjacent one end of the flight, the spiral of the vanes differing from the spiral of the Hight.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

EDGAR T. MEAKIN. 

